The Raymond Weil Toccata

Raymond Weil is a brand that has always been greatly influenced by culture, especially music which has been a source of inspiration for many of its watches. Hard to go wrong with their classic and clean designs, the price point of the brand makes it an easy choice. With the Toccata collection, the brand once again pays homage to music, this time, the composer. The brand draws inspiration from the baton of the orchestra’s conductor, which sweeps back and forth incessantly over the Roman numerals. The word Toccata has an Italian origin and literally means “to touch”. It is usually used to refer to fast moving musical pieces performed using a keyboard or plucked string instrument which displays a musician’s expert skill in using his or her fingers. The name aptly resonates with the watch as the Toccata is a masterpiece in itself.

On my wrist, the fine lines, the clean dial, thin black Roman numeral hour markers sit elegantly while the metal strap adds a contemporary touch to it. If you gaze at just the dial you will see that there is a certain old world charm to it, especially the cut of the little window for the date at 3 o’clock. Its the contemporary touch of the metal bracelet and slim case that really does it for me, not being a fan of anything too modern or too old school. I like the mix and the balance of the design. A modern classic is what comes to mind when I look at the Raymond Weil Toccata. The case and bracelet are stainless steel, with no variation in polish. The hands are steel again to match the case and bracelet.

The steel coloured hands perfectly match the stainless steel bracelet

Black Roman numeral hour markers contrast the stark white dial making it visually appealing . There is a certain uniformity in the entire look of the watch. It seems as if the watchmaker wanted to create this effect of harmony throughout the timepiece, and I think it has been achieved beautifully.

I also like the fact that the dial is very clean and that there is nothing to take away from the pristine white of the dial, not even the seconds hand. There is a date display window at the 3 o’clock position, which shows black Arabic numerals. All the watches in the Toccata collection share this clean dial as none of them have a central seconds hand. There are a few exceptions which sport a small seconds hand, but apart from that the dials in all the Toccata watches are extremely clean.

The 42 mm case looks great on the wrist

The case is a slim one with a thickness of just 8.29 mm and the dial at 42 mm fits rather snugly on the wrist. The crown has subtle brand markings on it. The movement is a quartz one, a bummer if you are especially fussy about it, but then again one look at the price reminds you that you may be able to overcome that.

The highly polished stainless steel case of the Toccata has a thickness of just 8.29 mm

I would say the Toccata safely makes for a classic. The white dial and steel bracelet complement each other greatly. The fusion of elegant old world & contemporary classic is interesting. The Toccata is in the entry level segment of Raymond Weil, and at this price, I think it’s a steal.